Rating: 8,6/10 (2402 votes) Paris Catacombs – a winding network of underground tunnels, forming a kind of ossuary or ossuary with the remains of many people. According to the most conservative estimates of bones and skulls there are more than six million people. The tunnels have an unnatural origin, all of them are the remaining passages of quarries that arose in Paris in the 10th century. Over the course of several centuries, the underground passages deepened and widened. Abandoned tunnels have been used for a variety of needs. For example, several monastic orders adapted the catacombs for wine cellars. By the 17th century, the quarries had expanded so much that several Parisian streets were threatened with collapse. It was decided to establish a General Inspectorate for Quarries. In fact, this body began to work only in 1777, when immediate actions began to eliminate possible landslides. The catacombs were simply poured with concrete. The number of bodies buried is explained by centuries-old cemeteries located mainly on the territory of churches, especially since the Catholic Church, with the blessing of the Pope, received quite good payments from each grave. By the 16th century, the number of graves had become catastrophic, and therefore new graves began to appear on the settled ground. The now closed Cemetery of the Innocents, for example, was closed only because there was no longer a place for burial, and the bones of the deceased were washed into the basements of nearby houses under the influence of groundwater. Since 1780, special brigades have been created to remove bones from places of possible collapse near the catacombs. The bones were ordered to be cleaned with acid and laid in some tunnels. Since 1980, due to the increased incidence of vandalism, special tourist zones of the catacombs were created, which could be entered with a guide. We also recommend reading City of Science and Industry in La Villette in France, Paris resort Topic: Catacombs of Paris in France, Paris resort. |